For the purposes of definition, it is important first to distinguish “guns” and “non-guns”. As used in this application, the term “gun” or “firearm” will normally be associated with a device that is capable of firing live ammunition, that results in a projectile being projected out of the barrel of the device. The term “non-gun” or “replica” will be used in this application to denote a device that, although having an appearance of a gun, is not a gun, because of its inability to fire live projectile containing ammunition. Such non-guns are referred to by a variety of terms, such as BFONG (Blank Firing Only Non Gun), NONGUN, BLANK GUN and REPLICA.
Gun ownership carries with it the baggage of not only monetary cost and moral responsibility, but also legal restriction. Owning a gun in many non-US jurisdictions is forbidden. Even within the United States, the ownership of guns is highly regulated, and often may be restricted, or require the gun owner to have a license to own and carry the weapon. Additionally, it is unlawful for persons to own certain types of live ammunition firing guns, and the ownership of other types of firearms is highly restricted. Examples of such banned and/or restricted firearms include certain types of fully automatic guns, machine guns, sawed-off shot guns and the like.
Even if one has complied with all of the necessary paperwork and requirements for owning a gun in his or her jurisdiction, one often runs into difficulties in transporting the guns across state lines. Each of the 50 states each have their own, differing laws and regulations that relate to one's ability to carry a gun, own a gun, and transport a gun through the particular jurisdiction. Additionally, many cities and states have their own regulations that may differ from the regulations and laws in force in the remainder of the state in which the locality resides.
These varied regulations make it difficult for the gun owner to transport his guns, or to travel with a gun. For example, the laws in Illinois very strictly regulate the transportation and carrying of firearms within the state. Therefore, a gun owner, who may wish to transport a gun between Indiana and Missouri is often well advised to travel South through Kentucky and then West into Missouri, rather than taking the straight route through Illinois because of the draconiun penalties associated with carrying and transporting a weapon within the state of Illinois.
Although firearms constitute a major market of products that are desired by a large number of people, there also exists a market for non-guns, that are incapable of firing bullets. One segment of this market includes the market for hobbyist, re-enactors, and another include the film and movie industry. These industries and people participating in these industries and hobbies, often desire to employ a weapon replica that has the appearance and feel of a “real live ammunition firing” firearm. For example, TV and Western movies have long used guns such as Colt revolvers and Springfield rifles, and war movies and re-enactors have often used vintage military rifles, that are appropriate for the conflict in which the re-enactment or film is set.
For those who wish to employ a gun in a “period” event, one avenue for doing so is to obtain an actual vintage weapon that was made and/or used during the particular period. Unfortunately, such vintage weapons are rare, and are often quite valuable. Additionally, a vintage weapon used in a re-enactment or film is still subject to the same laws, restrictions, permits and other problems for which any other like-gun is subject.
Another avenue is to employ a newly made gun that replicates the appearance of the particular historic weapon. Although such modern versions of such vintage guns can often be purchased less expensively than the actual vintage gun they still carry the drawback of imposing on the owner all of the legal requirements, restrictions and problems that are associated with gun ownership.
Therefore, it would be desirable if one could obtain a gun-like device that (1) had the appearance of a real gun; (2) was available at a reasonable price; (3) had the operational characteristics of a real gun, insofar as it could replicate the sounds and/or smoke discharge of a real gun; (4) was relatively safe, but (4) would not qualify as a firearm, and therefore not subject the user to the ownership, transportation and use restrictions, along with the potential liability associated with projectile shooting firearms.
For these reasons, products known as “non-guns” or “blank guns” have been manufactured and sold. Although these “non-guns” can take a variety of shapes and configurations, a particularly vital segment of the market includes those “non-guns” that (1) have the appearance of a real gun; (2) are capable of only firing blanks; and (3) do not qualify as “firearms” and thereby subject the user to the legal and liability issues associated with firearms.
In order to create such a viable non-gun, it is important that the non-gun comply with the applicable, Federal Regulations, so that the non-gun falls outside the definition of a “firearm”. Under the Gun Control Act of 1968, a “firearm” is defined to include any weapon (including starter gun) that is designed or may be readily converted to expel a projectile by the action of an explosive . . . [and] . . . the frame or receiver of any such weapon.
As such, a vehicle for removing a device from falling within the definition of a gun or firearm is to design the device so that it will not be capable of firing a projectile, or be easily converted to firing a projectile.
One particular type of gun that is often sought out by those both in the film industry and the re-enacting market, are machine guns. Machine (automatic) guns present a special challenge because they are much more heavily regulated and restricted than single fire and semi-automatic firing guns. Notwithstanding the foregoing, re-enacters and theatrical organizations demand machine guns since machine guns are used extensively in the military, criminal, and other endeavors.
A machine gun is defined by the National Firearms Act as “any weapon that shoots, is designed to shoot, or can be readily restored to shoot automatically more than one shot, without manual reloading by a single function of the trigger. The term shall also include the frame receiver of any such weapon, any part designed and intended solely and exclusively or a combination of parts designed and intended, for use in converting the weapon into a machine gun, and any combination of parts from which a machine gun can be assembled if such parts are in possession or under the control of a person”.
It is against this background which the challenge arises for creating a non-gun that has the “functionality” of a machine gun, insofar as its ability to automatically cause the automatic discharge of a series of blanks in a manner analogous to the manner in which a machine gun automatically causes the discharge of ammunition, while still falling within the guidelines provided, or more to the point, which does not fall with the definition of a machine gun.
A firearm that falls outside the guidelines of a “gun” and/or a “machine gun” is classified by the Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco Firearms and Explosives as a non-gun. Once so qualified as a non-gun, the device is largely exempt from the Federal and State Regulations governing guns, making ownership and transport much easier. Although some states do have regulations relating to the ownership and transport of replica guns, most states do not legally regulate them, thus enabling one to own a non-gun and take it from one's home to various re-enactor events, or use one in theatrical productions without the fear of also acquiring significant legal liabilities.
To help distinguish non-guns from live ammunition shooting guns, manufacturers place orange tips on the guns, so that one viewing the gun will know that it is not a real weapon. The use of an orange tip is used with products even as innocuous as water pistols that have the appearance of a real gun to help prevent those who possess such non guns from being mistakenly shot.
It is therefore one object of the present invention to provide a “non-gun” that reliably fires blanks, (as opposed to live ammunition), and which is configured to cause the non-gun to fall outside the reach of Federal Regulations that define and govern firearms, so that the particular device qualifies as a “non-gun” and does not subject the user to the firearms regulations and other burdens imposed on firearms capable of shooting live ammunition.
One way to produce a non-gun that has the appearance and operational characteristics of a projectile shooting “gun”, but that still comports with the Federal Requirements and Laws so as to qualify a non-gun, is to modify the receiver of the gun so that the receiver is incapable of firing live ammunition, but restricted to the ability to discharge only blanks.
The “receiver” of a gun is the main frame member portion of the gun that handles the blank (or in a real gun, the bullet). Generally, a gun will include: (1) a stock that the user employs to hold gun; (2) an ammunition storage device that may comprise items such as a cylinder in a revolver, a magazine employed in a pistol such as a 1911-type pistol, or a magazine that one might find in an assault rifle or machine gun; (3) a receiver that handles the projectile as it is positioned in front of the barrel and is fired by the firing mechanism; and (4) a barrel through which the projectile travels when it is discharged by the explosion of the gun powder. The receiver, or “main frame” of the gun includes components such as bolts, firing pins, and a housing for receiving the blank or bullet is the portion of the gun. The assembly of the main frame components are typically referred to as the receiver.
It is therefore another object of the present invention to provide an improved receiver that both enables the non-gun to process the blanks that are being fired therein, through the gun, so that they can be received, positioned for firing, fired and handled after firing, along with processing the byproducts of the firing of the blanks, such as gases, heat, and heat expansion caused by the explosion of the gun powder within the blank. It is also a feature of the present invention that the invention receiver is capable of preventing a live ammunition round from being accidentally discharged through the simulated barrel of the gun.
One feature of a preferred embodiment of the present invention is that it functions well and is tamper resistant. The ability of such a non-gun's components to be tampered with and converted into a gun that is capable of firing ammunition is a quality that will often cause a particular non-gun to lose its designation as a non-gun, and that may cause the non-gun to be subjected to the penalties, structures and regulations attendant to live ammunition shooting firearms.
Another feature of a preferred embodiment of the present invention is to allow the user to adjust the flow of gas between the blank chamber of the non-gun and the barrel of the non gun in order to allow the user to adjust the non-gun for proper operation with different blank loads. This feature has advantage of allowing the user to fine tune the automatic action of simulated firearms with this adjustment to meet his/her needs.